Banana Ice Cream

Well…banana “ice cream” is probably more accurate, and I mean the ” ” around ice cream as an actual concession that the “ice cream” discussed here is not really ice cream at all—I mean it as an act of honesty. This, unlike those signs we read everywhere these days about This-or-That Store’s “sale” on “Wednesday,” which makes us wonder what sort of closeted nuance is hiding within the ” ” of sale (haha! you must actually pay full price!), and, more unsettling still, of “Wednesday”…will I be embarrassed if I arrive midweek? Do they actually mean Thursday? Tuesday? Egad.

I found out about this “ice cream” from the blog Use Real Butter, who learned about it from The Kitchn (both blogs have equally good instructions/pics, so choose your poison pleasure) and thought that my banana-loving Oddnivore would go wild for this (it’s true: he did). And since I’m outta town visiting the always-banana-stocked home of my dad and stepmum (…or maybe it’s just banana stocked when the Oddnivore visits?), I decided to whip up a batch of this dessert this evening after dinner.

Prior to dinner, I had, per the recommendation of the aforementioned blogs, already sliced up my bananas and stuck them in the freezer, so they’d been chilling several hours. I used five bananas (five is the number of bananas we had nearing the Banana Bread Brown Death)—precision isn’t really necessary with this sort of recipe.

After dinner, I pulled out the food processor, and, after figuring out how to assemble the thing (seriously the most difficult part of this entire process), chucked in my bananas and began pulverizing. Both blogs indicate that the bananas will first be of a rather crumbly/grainy texture before changing over to smooth banana-ness, but mine didn’t ever take on that form. I wonder if it had something to do with 1) how frozen the bananas were or 2) how ripe. The bananas I used were quite ripe. Whatever the reason, I had no trouble achieving the smooth, thick consistency of whipped-up bananas. As you pulverize, scrape down the sides frequently and you won’t have any trouble, either.

Once the bananas are properly mimicking the cream of “ice cream”, it’s time to add, um, add-ins. I blended in two spoonfuls of soy butter (in lieu of peanut butter); practically any enjoyed-in-ice-cream ingredient could be either blended or stirred in at this point.

If you’re anxious to dig in right away, go for it, though the bananas will be more like soft serve (or runny ice cream, depending how quickly you work) than traditional ice cream. Stick your final product in the freezer in a covered container if you’re wanting the banana blend to resemble traditional ice cream a bit more, and then do as the Oddnivore always does: eat with an energy that leaves food all over your shirt.